Early Thursday morning the call came through on the police scanner – &uot;15 cows out and about, need assistance!&uot;

A small herd of cattle briefly escaped its enclosure bordering on O’Hara Street behind the Old National Guard Armory on West Dallas Avenue. They wandered around the small neighborhood for about 15 minutes until Steve Todd who owns the house at the end of Ohara, near its intersection with Westhaven, was able to shoo them back into their grazing ground.

Todd, who was interviewed while sitting in his pickup truck parked in the intersection of Ohara and Westhaven, said that the fence down the hill had washed out creating an opening for the cattle to escape. They were unable to enjoy their freedom for more than 15 minutes, however, on this cloudy morning.

Asked if the herd had gotten into the neighborhood before, Todd said they had a couple of years before. It was not an everyday occurrence he said.

Ohara Street was muddy because of the recent rains, and the clear hoof prints of the cattle were impressed into the mud of the front yard of a new home being constructed on the short block. Also, there were tracks on the pavement and other matter indicating the recent presence of meat on the hoof.

Todd’s attitude toward the incident was strictly &uot;no big deal.&uot; He said he doesn’t even know the owner of the cattle.

Upon leaving the scene, the two dozen or so cattle were safely enclosed and they were joined by at least three horses who seemed to be enjoying all the ruckus.